The subject invention relates to a package having a preapplied heat shrinkable plastic film for enclosing a product therein. More particularly, a package is provided which may be shipped from the carton manufacturer with a preapplied heat shrinkable plastic film adhesively connected thereto, such that the user merely has to insert the product therein and heat the package to fully seal and secure the product to the package.
The subject package includes a main panel and a pair of side support panels which are hingedly connected to the opposed side edges of the main panel. Heating of the package causes the plastic film to shrink which functions to draw the side support panels into abutting relationship with the product thereby securely enclosing the product or at least a portion thereof within the package.
Prior art packages have employed the use of heat shrinkable plastic film to securely hold products therewithin and in addition, to protect the product from the outside environment. A typical example of such prior art packaging is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,087,003, assigned to the same assignee as the subject invention, wherein a rectangular, tubular carton is provided with an interior heat shrinkable plastic casing which when heated, functions to surround and space an array of articles away from the side walls of the container.
Heat shrinkable plastics have also been employed in the prior art when the product is placed on a display card and a plastic film is subsequently wrapped therearound to secure the product to the card. In these prior art packages, the product manufacturer first purchases display cards from the package manufacturer, and thereafter places the product on the display card and mechanically draws a tubular sheet of plastic film around the entire package. The prior art package as thus formed is then subjected to heat, thereby enclosing the product therein. The process of drawing the plastic around the package is both time consuming and expensive, and in addition, requires the purchase of complicated machinery to carry out the drawing process. In addition, the entire product is enclosed within the shrink-wrap package therby preventing a potential consumer from handling the product prior to actual purchase thereof.
Accordingly, it is an object of the subject invention to provide a package having a preapplied heat shrinkable plastic material adhesively connected thereto such that the product manufacturer merely has to insert the product therein and subject the package to heat to secure or enclose the product to the card.
It is another object of the subject invention to provide a new and improved package which includes side support panels which are pivotally connected to a main panel and are drawn into abutting relationship with the product during the heating of the plastic film, to thereby securely hold the product to the package.
It is a further object of the subject invention to provide a new and improved package which can be utilized by the product manufacturer without the need for expensive plastic film drawing machinery.
It is still a further object of the subject invention to provide a new and improved card type package wherein a product is secured to a card, yet a portion of the product is exposed in order to enable a potential consumer to handle the product.